While head coach Robert Saleh said Zach Wilson “probably played the best game of his career” on Sunday, the New York Jets are still on the outside looking in when it comes to this season’s NFL playoffs.
The 5-8 Jets are currently third in the AFC East behind the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills and have less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs as of Monday afternoon, according to simulations by The New York Times.
If the Jets can beat the Dolphins, Washington Commanders, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots in their final four games, they’ll have a 10% chance.
After Sunday’s win, oddsmakers give the Jets a better chance with +1,800 odds or a 5.7% chance of making the playoffs, according to Fox Sports.
Which AFC teams will make the NFL playoffs?
If the NFL season had ended Sunday, the following seven teams from the AFC would make the playoffs:
- Baltimore Ravens (10-3).
- Miami Dolphins (9-4).
- Kansas City Chiefs (8-5).
- Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5).
- Cleveland Browns (8-5).
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6).
- Indianapolis Colts (7-6).
The Jets’ hopes of winning the AFC East are long gone, with the Times giving the team a 0% chance of winning the division. New York will have to turn its focus to earning one of the three Wild Card spots, which are currently held by the Browns, Steelers and Colts.
The Jets are only two games behind the Steelers and Colts.
Which teams are ahead of the Jets in the hunt for a NFL playoff spot?
Only one AFC team has been eliminated from playoff contention: the Patriots, who the Jets play in their final regular season game.
This means the Jets are still mathematically in the hunt, but they have the following six teams ahead of them:
- Houston Texans (7-6).
- Denver Broncos (7-6).
- Cincinnati Bengals (7-6).
- Buffalo Bills (7-6).
- Los Angeles Chargers (5-8).
- Las Vegas Raiders (5-8).
If the Jets’ record ties with another team for one of the wild card spots, it will come down to tiebreakers, with the first tiebreaker being their win-loss record against the teams they’re tied with, according to Fox Sports.
The Jets have tiebreakers over the Texans and Broncos but lost to the Raiders and Chargers this season and went 1-1 against the Bills. However, the Chargers have lost quarterback Justin Herbert for the season, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday, which could eliminate them from playoff contention.
To secure a playoff spot, Wilson and company will have to hope for some losses from the teams ahead of them and the former BYU quarterback will have to put together a few more performances like Sunday’s.